Travel
The Maldives On A Budget
From affordable luxury resorts to idyllic guesthouses, this famously high-end destination can be surprisingly accessible – if you know where to look
Water villas perched over azure lagoons. Infinity pools surrounded by powder-soft white sand. Vibrant reefs teeming with tropical fish. The images are iconic, but for many, a trip to the Maldives seems like nothing more than a daydream, given the famously high price tags attached. What a lot of would-be visitors don’t realise, though, is that it’s possible to find luxury-level lodgings or authentic local accommodations and enjoy a holiday in paradise without breaking the bank.
The Gist
When it comes to the hospitality scene, the Maldives has a uniquely prohibitive set-up whereby each resort – and most travellers stay at a resort – is located on a private island with no other inhabitants or businesses. Visiting neighbouring islands for dining and entertainment is possible but expensive, with private transfers typically starting at USD 200. This means that, for resort holiday-makers, all restaurants and activities are in-house – ie. organised, implemented and priced by the hotel.
The other option is to stay in a guesthouse on one of the country’s 187 inhabited islands, affording the freedom to dine in local restaurants and explore various communities, nature zones and beaches by island-hopping cheaply aboard public ferries.
However, before you decide between the two, it’s worth weighing the pros and cons of both holiday styles first.
The Resort Experience
Despite the widespread idea that the Maldives is a destination reserved solely for the deep-pocketed, a number resorts do, in fact, offer the allures of paradise at a reasonable price.
Take the affordable luxe island known as Reethi Beach, for example. This traditional Maldivian resort has the classic hallmarks of an Indian Ocean escape, with coconut-thatch roofs, wood-panelled walls, rattan furnishings and sandy-floor bars. The small, oval-shaped island is rich in mature vegetation, which attracts a multitude of birds, and is fringed by a wide beach as well as a colourful ‘house reef’ (a reef adjacent to an island). It’s situated in the Unesco World Biosphere Reserve of Baa Atoll, so there’s no shortage of superb diving and snorkelling sites to visit, complete with frequent manta sightings. Just know that Reethi Beach is earmarked for refurbishment at the end of this year, so prices could rise if you miss the chance to go now.
[Images courtesy of Reethi Beach]
By contrast, Furaveri Maldives in Raa Atoll is a contemporary resort attracting a cool crowd with its highly Instagrammable swings over lagoon and water villas with infinity-edge pools. It’s a natural island (some new resorts are on reclaimed land), so there’s plenty of greenery and a decent house reef. Mantas are present year-round, but don’t miss visiting Hanifaru Bay in the neighbouring atoll – a nearby hot spot famed for attracting mass aggregations. To save money on dining, take a look at Furaveri’s all-inclusive plan, which covers meals, alcohol, a minibar and select activities. It often works out cheaper in the Maldives to book this option, as a main course alone could cost upwards of USD 40.
[Images courtesy of Furaveri Maldives]
While Furaveri has a whopping 169 villas to choose from, perhaps you’ve been dreaming about more of a Robinson Crusoe experience. If so, check out the castaway island of Cocogiri, a tiny pearl surrounded by miles of glittering water and comprising just 40 villas in a tranquil atmosphere. Unlike Crusoe, you won’t be deprived of any creature comforts here. The island has a beautiful beachfront restaurant and a poolside cafe-bar, as well as a spa, pool and kids club.
[Images courtesy of Cocogiri]
Or how about a hotel with history? The first resort in the Maldives, Kurumba, in North Male’ Atoll, is known to have hosted a bevy of celebrities and dignitaries over the years, including former US president Bill Clinton. A-listers usually bunk in the spacious President’s Suite or the Kurumba Residence, but the resort offers a wide range of terracotta-tiled villas for any budget – 180 in all – and guests of every room category use the same island facilities, like the spa and the array of more than 10 dining venues. Kurumba is only 10 minutes from Velana International Airport, which makes the speedboat transfers cheaper than many other resorts at just USD 49.50.
[Images courtesy of Kurumba]
The Guesthouse Experience
Indeed, the cost of speedboat or seaplane transfers to and from a resort can sometimes climb as high as USD 700, and you’re obliged to use the resort’s choice of transportation partners. By contrast, travellers staying in guesthouses will be headed to inhabited islands served by public ferries, where prices range from USD 1.50 to 5.
If you go the guesthouse route, there are a few restrictions to bear in mind. The Maldives is home to a deeply religious Muslim culture, so covering your knees and shoulders outside of your guesthouse is recommended. Alcohol is illegal, as is skimpy swimwear, unless you’re on a designated ‘tourist beach’, in a private guesthouse garden, or if you take an excursion to a sandbank. However, when you stay at a guesthouse, you can gain real insights into the authentic Maldivian culture and contribute to locally owned small businesses like cafes, shops and water-sports centres. And despite the name, guesthouses aren’t rustic homestays: here, they’re often more like upscale boutique hotels.
Bliss Dhigurah in South Ari Atoll is a prime example. Located on the edge of a sleepy Maldivian village, it features the hip decor of a boutique hotel plus direct access to a spectacular 3km beach. Bliss provides many of the activities resorts offer, like paddleboarding, snorkelling and even Maldivian cooking classes. There’s also a year-round whale shark population in the atoll, so you can cross ‘snorkelling with whale sharks’ off your bucket list.
[Images courtesy of Bliss Dhigurah]
If socialising floats your boat, you won’t find a better spot to mingle than Maafushi in South Malé Atoll. More than 50 guesthouses are packed into this small island town that boasts its own tourist beach for sunbathing – although guesthouses like Stingray Beach Inn also take guests to deserted sandbanks to frolic. Stingray Beach is a laid-back, friendly option with a contemporary take on traditional Maldivian features like large hardwood doors and thatch roofs. Maafushi is the only inhabited island that gets around the community alcohol ban by providing a floating bar for tourists; book it via your guesthouse.
[Images courtesy of Maafushi]
Alternatively, just get away from it all at a far-flung eco-retreat in one of the most untouched parts of the Maldives. Haa Alifu Atoll is the country’s most northerly atoll, a one-hour flight from the international airport. Here, you’ll find Barefoot Eco Hotel nestled in a quiet, lush corner of Hanimaadhoo. Certified by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, this guesthouse cloaked in contemporary architecture houses a restaurant, library and shop, plus an enormous pool and a sprawling private beach, giving it the type of exclusive resort vibes few other guesthouses can channel.
[Images courtesy of Barefoot Eco Hotel]
The Best Of Both Worlds
If a guesthouse best fits your holiday style, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on a resort experience. Should you feel the urge to splurge, consider booking a day pass to a nearby resort.
Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru in North Malé Atoll, for instance, has put together an attractive eight-hour package for USD 250, including speedboat transfers to and from the airport, Malé, Hulhumale or the cruise ship pier. You’ll get a welcome drink, lunch at Sangu Garden, unlimited alcohol from 11am to 5pm and 20% off dinner at the overwater Japanese restaurant Madi Hiyaa. Spend the day snorkelling, kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding with the complimentary equipment, and maybe even catch the marine biologists feeding turtles daily at 5.30pm. There’s also 20% off treatments at the award-winning spa if you want to relax with a massage or facial to complete your day of Maldivian luxury.
[Images courtesy of Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru]
Not all resorts advertise their day packages online, but you can ask your guesthouse for tips or phone surrounding resorts to see if they have capacity.
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